Berserker's Rage
Page 18
****
He held Sarah a little longer than necessary but must have realized it, so released her. He looked into her eyes and smiled. Sarah looked at her friend who had helped plan her escape and smiled back at him.
“Let’s get your bags.”
“What you see, is what you get, Ramone” He groaned, and Sarah winced, realizing how her words could be interpreted.
“Does that mean I get you?” he asked.
“You’re still a flirt, I see.” She raised her eyebrows and looked at him.
“Okay, okay. Let’s get to my car.”
Ramone held out his hand and she took it, following the throng of people towards baggage claim leading to the exit of the Atlanta-Hartsfield Airport.
Twice Sarah caught him glancing at her.
She couldn’t believe he was the same boy who had eaten paste at Daniel Bagley Elementary. Even harder to believe he was the same young man she had treated in the ER for a gunshot wound when she’d been rotations as an intern. He had been on his way to a life of crime—angry, sullen, and downright scary.
She’d met his mother and sister that night so long ago, and thought for sure they were going to lose him to a gang. Instead he visited the hospital months later to thank her for saving him. They’d reestablished their friendship.
“A Prius?” Sarah shouted with laughter, it was the first time she laughed in the last forty-eight hours.
“Do not make fun of a man’s wheels. Especially when they are taking you where you need to go.”
“You are Ramone Sands, right?”
“That’s Reverend Ramone Sands,” he said as he opened her door. He lifted his hand and she knew he was going to stroke her cheek. She caught it before he could.
“I don’t think there are security cameras here. We can stop now.”
“Damn, I’ve been liking this. A lot. Haven’t you? Just a little?” There was only a gentle question, which made her pause rather than shake her head. But the reverend was nothing if not astute.
“Is there someone?”
“That’s the problem. I don’t know if there is or not.” She thought about Nate, but then again, when didn’t she think about him? It had to stop. His life was somewhere else. He wasn’t like Noah. He hadn’t asked to be transferred to California, instead he was still out of the country most of the time. Obviously there was never going to be anything between them.
“Sarah, are you listening to me?”
“What?” she asked, distracted.
“Never mind.” His hand cupped her cheek and he smiled gently. He lowered his head and gave her the sweetest of kisses, and then settled her into the car and shut the door.
Damn he was smooth. It didn’t matter though, he wasn’t Nate.
****
Nate didn’t know how he was supposed to eat the food Mrs. Johnson put in front of him, considering he no longer had any back teeth. He’d ground them to dust when he saw the kiss Sarah shared with the man in the parking garage.
“Don’t you like lasagna?”
“Yes I do Lila, I’m sorry, I was preoccupied.” Nate realized he better pull his head out of his ass. He didn’t want to hurt Sarah’s mom’s feelings. He really liked the woman, and she’d gone to a lot of trouble making such a great meal.
“I can understand why you’re worried, but while we’re waiting for Kyle to get off shift, we might as well have dinner. I’m sure he’ll have the information you need from the license plate number. Now, give me a couple of minutes and I’ll be back with the garlic bread.”
Nate looked at the beautiful woman, who looked a little bit like Sarah, which amazed him, considering Sarah was her adopted daughter. Hell, calling her adopted wasn’t doing the whole thing justice, since she showed up in the Johnson’s backyard one day when she was five years old.
“It’s something else, isn’t it?” Frank Johnson nudged him.
“Hmmm?”
“My two beauties.” Lila went into the kitchen and Frank spoke. Two of his other son’s heads popped up and grinned at their father. It looked as if this was a well beloved topic. Nate didn’t know if he was up for it, considering one of the beauties in question was gallivanting around Atlanta with some pretty boy and putting her life in danger.
The front door opened, and finally Kyle came in and sat down at the dinner table. He grinned at Nate.
“I’ve got the name of your guy.” He started spooning lasagna onto a plate.
“Well?”
“Ma,” he yelled out. Lila came into the dining room.
“Hi Baby Boy. What did you find out?”
“Don’t call me that. Sarah’s the youngest.”
“I’m sorry Kyle.” Lila rolled her eyes to the rest of the table and everyone laughed.
“Ma, do you know a preacher named Ramone Sands?” Everyone waited as she thought for a moment.
“He’s the assistant pastor over at the Union Church on Third and Jakes Street. Your sister treated him for a GSW her first year at the hospital. They were in the same grade in elementary school for a few years before his dad passed. Then he and his mama moved away.” She sat next to her husband. “I remember your sister telling me he was on his way to being part of a gang, but he turned his life around. I never met the man, but your sister spoke highly of him. Reverend Hughly wouldn’t have taken him as an assistant if he wasn’t of strong character. Ramone is in charge of the youth ministry, if I’m not mistaken.”
“You’re not. I called to talk to him. He’s conveniently unavailable, meeting with a group of boy scouts at Lake Winfield to hike and camp in the Chattahoochee National Forest.”
“Call his cell phone,” Nate barked. Every one of the Johnson’s laughed.
“I did. He asked if this was an official investigation, and if Sarah had done anything wrong. Basically he gave me the runaround. He knew I was her brother.”
“Bring him in for questioning,” Nate shot back.
“On what grounds?” Kyle reached for the garlic bread.
“On the grounds she could be in danger and he will be in danger if he doesn’t immediately tell us everything he knows.”
“I tried, he laughed.”
“Fine, we go to him.” Nate was having a tough time with Kyle’s lackadaisical attitude.
“I can’t go. I’m on duty. You’re stuck with the slacker who doesn’t work.”
“Ignore my brother,” the second youngest Johnson brother, Brayson, said. “He’s just jealous how the shifts work at the Fire Department. I have a lot of experience camping in Chattahoochee. We’ll go corner the good reverend and find out where he stashed Sarah. This is total bullshit.”
“When can we leave?”
“After dinner, we’ll stop at my apartment and pick up the camping gear and supplies we’re going to need.”
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